This once-in-a-lifetime destination has long intrigued us with its bewildering array of natural wonders and wildlife, and its less advertised but no less captivating culture and history. While it's America’s largest state, it’s also one of its least populated, with an average of just over one person per square mile, making it the perfect place for some off-grid adventure.
Click through this gallery to discover the most incredible sights of America's Last Frontier...
High on any traveller’s wish list should be Denali, North America’s tallest peak, which rises a dizzying 20,310 feet (6,190m) above sea level. The Indigenous Koyukon Athabascan people named it Denali, which translates as 'The Great One'. However, in 1896, a gold prospector decided to christen the mountain after then-presidential nominee William McKinley instead, spurring a dispute between Indigenous people and settlers which would last more than a century. The name was officially changed back to Denali in 2015.
A 30-mile-long (48km) fjord surrounded by razor-sharp cliffs lined with waterfalls, this dramatic natural wonder around 45 miles (72km) south of state capital Juneau is mesmerising in the extreme. Highlights include the Twin Sawyer Glaciers (pictured), bright blue icebergs and an array of wildlife including bald eagles, harbour seals and mountain goats. True Alaskan Tours offers a day trip to the fjord from Juneau.
Alaska is home to some of the most awe-inspiring stretches of road on the planet. The Alaska Highway, which reaches 1,387 miles (2,232km) between Dawson Creek in British Columbia, Canada and Delta Junction in south-central Alaska, certainly doesn’t scrimp on beautiful scenery. If you’re planning a road trip on the Alaskan side of the route, stop off at Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge to see an array of birds migrating to and from Canada, backdropped by a landscape of expansive forests, wetlands and tundra.
Although it's one of Alaska's smaller national parks, Kenai Fjords National Park certainly gives you bang for your buck when it comes to jaw-dropping scenery. Situated in the south-central region, one of the park’s most impressive features is the Harding Icefield, a 714-square-mile (1,850sq km) sheet of ice that's up to a mile thick in places, which feeds more than 30 glaciers. Visitors can drive to the fjord between May and October, when the road into Exit Glacier is open, or arrange a flight-seeing trip from Seward at other points in the year, subject to weather conditions.
Named after early explorers who turned around after getting cold feet (literally and figuratively), Coldfoot is the furthest-north truck stop in the US, situated at Mile 175 on the Dalton Highway near the Gates of the Arctic National Park. Today, visitors who brave the journey to the Arctic village are rewarded with miles of unspoilt tundra and rugged mountains. Its northern location makes Coldfoot one of the best spots in Alaska for catching the Northern Lights.
Stretching 550 miles (885km) from the Endicott Mountains in the central Brooks Range to the village of Koyukuk, the central Alaskan Koyukuk River is a must for anyone wishing to catch a glimpse of Alaska’s epic wilderness. Expeditions Alaska offers a packrafting trip on the river's North Fork, which traverses the Gates of the Arctic National Park and serves up great views of Boreal Mountain and Frigid Crags. Arctic Wild also runs an adventurous eight-day tour of the river valley, led by an expert guide well versed in the area's natural and cultural heritage.
The former Klondike Gold Rush town of Dyea had a population of thousands in the late 1890s, as people poured in to work on the gold fields. Long before that, Dyea was a seasonal fishing camp and base for the Indigenous Chilkat Tlingit people, who travelled from here up the Chilkoot Trail to trade with people further inland. Today, the town has been reclaimed by nature – abandoned due to natural disasters and a lack of transport links – and offers fascinating insights into the rich, overlapping histories that coexist in Alaska.
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Popular with road-trippers in summer and intrepid skiers in winter, Haines is one of the best spots in Alaska for fishing, hiking and bird-watching, and attracts the world’s largest concentration of bald eagles each autumn. Located in southeast Alaska along the edge of North America’s longest and deepest fjord, the town’s historic gems include museums dedicated to the native Tlingit people and the Gold Rush-era military base Fort William H Seward.
In the early 20th century, the town of Kennecott was a busy copper-mining camp. The area’s copper deposits were first discovered in 1900, and the town thrived until the mid-1920s, when the dwindling value of copper took its toll on business and the mines began to deplete. Fast forward to today and Kennecott is a ghost town, attracting and intriguing visitors with its eerie, dilapidated red buildings which provide a fascinating insight into the town’s heyday.
The largest national park in the US – a whopping six times the size of Yellowstone – Wrangell-St. Elias is filled with an outstanding array of mountains and glaciers, a diverse roster of wildlife and stunning vistas galore. Roughly 70% of the park is designated and managed as wilderness, meaning the landscapes are about as unspoilt as they come, and the park is home to some of the largest glaciers in North America.
One of Alaska’s most accessible glaciers, Mendenhall Glacier lies a mere 13 miles (21km) from Juneau and can be reached by car, on foot, by plane or by boat. Part of the 1,500-square-mile (3,900sq km) Juneau Icefield, the glacier has been retreating since the Little Ice Age between the 16th and 19th centuries. The glacier is accessible all year but May to September, when the weather is warmest, is the most popular time to visit.
Sandwiched between Canada and the Pacific Ocean, Glacier Bay National Park is home to some of the most incredible tidewater glaciers on the planet. The park hosts a wide array of wildlife, including humpback whales, porpoises, sea otters, bears, wolves and moose. It’s best to explore this icy wilderness by boat – around 95% of visitors do so – but avoid the big cruises and take a smaller ship for a more sustainable option. Responsible Travel offers an eight-day small ship tour starting at Sitka and finishing in Juneau, with opportunities to see wildlife up close and engage with local Indigenous communities.
Flanked by vibrant autumnal oranges and reds in this stunning shot, Eklutna Lake is backdropped by majestic mountains, the tallest of which is Bashful Peak. It’s a favourite spot for hikers, with ample trails to try including the 2.5-mile (4km) Twin Peaks Trail, and the 13-mile (21km) Eklutna Lakeside Trail. Alternatively, thrill-seekers can take a three-and-a-half-hour quad bike tour with Alaska ATV Adventures, which takes visitors into the heart of the Chugach mountain range.
If you’re willing to brave the cold and visit the Alaskan Arctic, you’ll be rewarded with views of the awe-inspiring Brooks Range. This epic mountain range branches out from Canada’s Rocky Mountains, spanning around 600 miles (1,000km) in total, with its highest peaks reaching between 8,500 and 9,000 feet (2,590–2,740m). The region is ideal for hiking, camping and mountaineering and it’s best to visit in the summer to catch the mildest weather. Even then, temperatures typically only reach around 4°C (40°F) in the most northerly regions.
Located on the Kenai Peninsula, which stretches out from Alaska’s southern tip, Lost Lake is a rugged and remote outpost that ticks all the boxes for keen hikers. Take a 15-mile (24km) hike between Milepost 5 on the Seward Highway and Primrose Campground, taking in scenic vistas, forests and assorted water features as the path traverses Lost Lake's eastern side.
Aptly-named Wonder Lake has captured the hearts of many visitors – and it’s not hard to see why. Located in Denali National Park, it offers incredible views of the Alaska Range and Denali’s north flank, on clear days acting as a perfect mirror for the mountain. The 3.5-mile-long (5.6km), 250-feet-deep (76m) lake is often classified as a kettle lake, meaning it was formed by the melting of glaciers.
One of the most accessible glaciers in the state, Exit Glacier is just a 10- to 15-minute drive from Seward and is then just a short walk from the car park, making it popular with tour groups. The stunning bright-blue glacier is retreating quickly, however, and has become a sad symbol for the effects of global warming. According to local guide Rick Brown, speaking to National Geographic, the normal rate of retreat is 150 feet (46m) per year; Exit Glacier has been retreating by around 10-15 feet (3-4.6m) per day in recent years.
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Beringia is a taste of Alaska's ancient history. This stretch of ocean between Alaska and Russia was probably once the site of a 620-mile-wide (1,000km) ice sheet joining the continents of North America and Asia, which early humans likely crossed to populate the Americas some 16,500 years ago. Although long gone, the bridge is thought to have existed between around 30,000 years ago and 16,000 years ago, according to global sea level estimates.
A favourite for backpackers, Kesugi Ridge serves up a 30-mile (48km) hiking trail between Little Coal Creek and Byers Lake in Denali State Park. You’ll see plenty of sweeping, panoramic views along this route, which takes in wide swathes of tundra and alpine lakes, and you might even spot wildlife like moose, bear, caribou and beaver. It’s a challenging trail which includes 6,400 feet (1,951m) of elevation gain, and is best attempted in the summer months from June to September.
It’s easy to fixate on Alaska’s breathtaking wilderness but its cities are spectacular too. Take Anchorage for example, where shimmering lights are offset by orange skies and inky blue mountains in this sunset shot. Here, you’ll find everything from craft beer and coffee to museums such as the culture-heavy Anchorage Museum and the Oscar Anderson House, built in 1915 by one of the city's first residents.
Aviation fans will love the conjoined Lake Spenard and Lake Hood, where you'll find the world’s largest and busiest seaplane harbour, hosting more than 87,000 take-offs and landings per year. The nearby Alaska Aviation Museum, which documents the state’s aviation history through interactive exhibitions, photographs, artefacts and memorabilia, is also worth a stop-off.
At an immense 27 miles (43km) long and four miles (6km) wide, Matanuska Glacier flows north from the Chugach Mountains up towards the Glenn Highway between inland and coastal mountain ranges. The glacier naturally pushes warm valley air upwards, meaning that the weather here is a little milder than at many other glaciers. It’s possible to do it in a day by travelling the 100-or-so miles (161km) from Anchorage.
If you’re keen to see bears in Alaska, look no further than Kodiak Island. Also known as the 'Emerald Isle' for its lush landscapes, it's a designated wildlife refuge home to as many as 3,500 of the world's largest grizzlies. The island has several harbours including St Paul Boat Harbor, which served as a major port during the Second World War when the island was an important staging area for North Pacific operations.
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Known for its diverse landscapes, Lake Clark encompasses everything from tundra and volcanoes to vast lakes and glaciers across its 6,178 square miles (16,000sq km). Through its centre run the rugged Chigmit Mountains, punctuated by two active volcanoes, Iliamna and Redoubt. It’s usually best to visit in summertime in milder temperatures – or go in September to see the region lit up by autumn colours.
With its log cabins, clapboard storefronts and hand-sewn signposts, former gold mining town Talkeetna is about as quaint as they come. This characterful little spot, located 115 miles (185km) north of Anchorage in the Mat-Su Valley, was once a thriving riverboat steamer station which supplied a steady stream of gold miners and had a population of 1,000 at its peak. There are plenty of ways to explore the surrounding area, from rafting and jet boat tours to hiking trails and guided walks.
Sitka, spread across Baranof Island on Alaska's southern tip, is one of the few remaining places in Alaska where you can feel the state’s Russian influence. The Russians arrived in Alaska in the mid-1700s, and, after storming a native Tlingit fort, made Sitka their American capital in 1808. Today, it’s a patchwork of pastel-coloured buildings, landmarks such as St Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral, and panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
A rugged wilderness that’s perfect for adventure-seekers, Prince of Wales Island is packed full of hiking trails, mountain biking tracks and canoeing spots. But it’s great for those seeking a scenic drive too, with 1,300 miles (2,092km) of paved or maintained gravel roads that take in a glut of coastal vistas as they pass through tiny villages and skirt the shores of the Pacific. Visitors should fly into Ketchikan and then take a three-hour ferry to reach the island.
In 1778, British explorer James Cook was travelling up this narrow waterway when he was forced to 'turn again' because he couldn’t proceed any further inland – giving this channel its name. Today, trips down Turnagain Arm delight visitors with postcard-perfect views, as well as opportunities to spot beluga whales and Dall sheep. There’s also the Seward Highway, an incredibly scenic stretch of road that provides ample access to hiking routes and stunning views of Chugach State Park's mountains.
Descend into the thick pine forest along Virgin Creek Falls Trail for a short but beautiful hike, which passes a glacial waterfall strewn with fallen trees and moss-covered rocks. Located in the temperate rainforest of Girdwood, it’s an easy trip from Anchorage and can be hiked all year round – though it’s especially stunning in the summer and autumn.
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For probably one of the most scenic train journeys on Earth, look no further than the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. Built during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898 for gold prospectors trying to access Canadian gold fields, today the 107-mile (172km) railroad offers multiple itineraries. Try the 2.5-hour Summit Excursion, which retraces the original route to the White Pass Summit, or the eight-hour Bennett Scenic Journey between Skagway, Alaska, and Carcross, Yukon – the same route taken by gold prospectors.
Stretching 1,200 miles (1,900km) across the North Pacific from the Alaskan Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands are a bewildering mix of desolate and breathtakingly beautiful. The archipelago, consisting of 14 larger and 55 smaller islands, is home to numerous active volcanoes, such as the volatile Shishaldin Volcano on Unimak Island. First inhabited by the Indigenous Aleut people, at its peak the population was as large as 25,000, but the isles were stormed by the Russians in the late 1700s and vast numbers perished. Today, only a small number of Aleut people remain, in communities including Akutan, False Pass, King Cove and Sand Point.
The volcano-formed Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes gets its name from its fumaroles – holes in the valley floor which spout gas, smoke and steam. The 56-square-mile (145sq km) valley was created in 1912 when the Novarupta volcano erupted, in what was one of the largest volcanic eruptions ever recorded. Today, this wide and desolate expanse is like nowhere else on Earth, attracting intrepid explorers eager to experience its untamed beauty for themselves.
An essential stretch to explore on any Alaskan road trip is Dalton Highway, which travels through the most remote and northerly parts of the state. Sometimes dubbed 'America’s loneliest road', there are just three towns along the entire 414-mile (666km) route, and from the midpoint at Coldfoot to the end, at Deadhorse, you won’t find a single gas station, hotel or rest stop. Clearly not for the faint-hearted, the road also has several steep, muddy sections so it’s necessary to travel in a well kitted-out vehicle with plenty of supplies.
Quaint, colourful wooden houses reflected in the waters of the Pacific make Ketchikan a picture-perfect spot which is popular with visitors. Known as Alaska’s 'First City' – it’s the first settlement you reach when travelling northwards up the Inside Passage – Ketchikan has a rich history of salmon fishing, and was originally founded as a salmon cannery site in 1885. Don’t miss the state’s largest collection of totem poles in the Totem Heritage Center, which offers insight into the traditions and cultures of the native Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples.
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